This invention relates to gas dryers for use in gas transmission lines and in other contexts where gas is to be dried.
Various types of vessels have been used in the past for drying natural gas in gas transmission lines. See, for example, the illustrations in Thomas U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,309 and Dingfelder U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,383.
A problem with gas dryers left on gas transmission lines in remote areas has been that they must be serviced frequently to check on the desiccant solutions that are formed from the desiccant and the moisture in the gas, and simply to replace the desiccant tablets or other materials. The capacity for drying in prior art vessels is limited by the design of the dryer, the limits on the amount of desiccant that can be used, and the manner of handling the solution formed from the desiccant material and moisture captured from the gas. Because of these limitations, frequent service calls must be made to replenish the desiccant and to make sure the sump solution does not foul the dryer.
My dryer requires a minimum of service.
I have invented a gas dryer that is able to process large quantities of gas and remove large quantities of moisture before it must be serviced. The dryer comprises a sump vessel having an inlet for gas from a gas line, a splash plate positioned in the sump vessel so that gas from the inlet will strike the splash plate, at least one drying vessel communicating with the sump vessel for retaining a bed of desiccant solids and an exit for the gas after said gas passes through the drying vessel.
While the inlet may lead from any gas line, my invention is especially useful in gas transmission lines.